Colossus

The Devil poured whiskey down upon my grave
He spoke as he smiled, rise young child, it’s a brand new-day
As I rose from way down under, he laughed and waved goodbye
Old souls like you and I young blood, you know we never die

Well a family band rescued me, and we sailed across the sea
We heard tell of a land, they said, that’s made for you and me
Think we’ll call it America, I think we’ll call it home. I say
I’m your man, your best friend, don’t believe what you been told

We reached the sands of the Florida shores, then turned to the north
We trekked on farther to New York Harbor, ‘fore the darkening storm
My friends then called out to me, chased away by the crowds
We are near and never far, go on now, make us proud.

Well I’s hoodwinked, man I’s shanghai’d, I’s left in a foreign town
County clerks all calling for my name
Enraged, deranged, machine-gun rangers searching through my clothes for papers
Calling me a phantom danger, saying beware of tall dark strangers.

I ran, I climbed, thought I’d jumped through time
Before the eyes of ol’ Tom Paine staring into mine
Stoic, so statuesque, far beyond the grave,
He said
Fight ‘em if you can, man, but I’d say you’re out of range

Well I’ve seen walls and chains, bring songs of screaming pain
I’ve seen rock n’ roll, bring on the thunder and rain
I’d say tear down every wall, break ‘way every chain
Tell ya a thing about freedom, too, in the U.S. of A.

I met a gypsy traveller on the outskirts of town
Strangers at the train station, we waited at sundown
He looked at me and smiled, with his a ticket to ride
He’s heading back out west, he said, to the jungles of the night

He handed me a guitar, and a fake ID
Armed me with a harmonica, said hey, don’t ya play for free
Name a price and you’ll be playin’ by the rules
I’d tell ya to raise some hell, but brother, just be cool

Deep in the night, far beyond the sea
A angel’s voice in the shadows, a whisper in the trees
Through all the hell and all the bells above me and below, says
She’ll never surrender, that I am not alone.

She says
I dreamed of more to this life than a fight to survive
Still I rage, rage, rage against the dying of the light
For those looking to make their home in this here promised land
I lift the lamplight high for every woman and every man.